Tuesday, 3 May 2016

Salt, sugar and honey - cast me not away from your presence !

I am not complaining , it's my choice to Live below the Line -
an anti poverty initiative. On average I spend $10 a day or more , rarely contemplating what it means to live on $2 day food.

So I'm challenging myself to eat on $2 a day for five days; raise funds and help end extreme poverty.

Live Below the Line is the annual fundraising campaign for Oaktree, one of Australia’s largest youth-run
organisations. It is a tough but meaningful challenge.

So my live below the line on $2 a day -35 /120 hours down.

I think I am hungry - more often than not , although now I am
hungrier thinking about all the recipes and things I love to eat.

It's both unsettling and unsurprisingly - imagine living
every day on $2. Food or eating is life altering - our lives revolve around
it , we depend on it. Choices and abundance, I am blessed with a
full plate (except this week)

Obesity they say is preventable ; however choosing healthy food
is a privilege of those who are cashed up.

Affording chocolate ,
fine wine, cheese , fruit and vegetables , meat and even basics like spices , salt and honey is beyond many peoples reach. Those who live below the line
might not always be hungry but their choices are limited.

As I browse many of the $10 diets posted in the Live below the line group - all I see is a sea
of white carbs - pasta, white rice and white bread - most affordable.
Do you buy one red apple to snack on or a packet of pasta $.65 c to feed ourself for five days ???

Salt , sugar and even honey is a luxury too - it should be calculated in
the $2 equation ...as a full price item not 2g brown sugar on my morning porridge /
30g rolled oats like I did last year. This year - no sugar.
Expanded somewhat over the last few months my waistline will thank me. I suspect right now I won't fit my winter clothes . Reluctant to waist
waste money on new clothes when my others are still in good condition ,
I'm have to reduce how full my plate is and decrease my portions. I'm
already quite active- since being menopausal it makes a scrap of difference.

As well as gaining a unique insight into some
of the challenges faced by those living in extreme poverty - awareness and gratefulness that I have so many choices. I started watching living on $1 a day last night !

Strictly planned meals, a few hunger pains and the odd whine because even a
$2.49 Aldi vino couldn't be squeezed in.

I'm not saying I drink every day. (I went over a year
without wine or any alcohol after chemo) going without is a liver detox maybe.

There is no denying I feel a bit hungry.
The decisions about what to include in my $10 felt overwhelming.
I decided to ditch pasta and rice.I bought a huge cauliflower instead.

My cup of tea was not negotiable - I budgeted for 25 cups of tea @ 3.5c per bag.
Milk each drop must be counted too. Not water - though seriously some people walk miles for it and it's not as clean as our water.

The challenge
itself it to make people, as privileged as we are, more understanding of the challenges people who
earn very little face when it comes to feeding and educating themselves

Oaktree works in partnership with local organisations in Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea.
Oaktree’s overseas partners train teachers, fund scholarships, renovate schools and provide educational
resources for thousands of young people.

Credit - Live below the line.

The
spirit of the campaign is to raise money and awareness. My husband was not a willing participant and
sons are not participating with me. I am thankful for a few crumbs they leave behind. Seriously crumbs.

Tomorrow is hump day !

Credit - Live below the line.

My
fundraising link is at the bottom if you would like to donate the cost
of one of your favourite meals or even a cup of coffee.